The chain whirled like black lightning in Kael's hands.

The metallic weight roared through the air, each link striking sparks as it slammed into the stone. He wielded it not like a prisoner trying to escape, but like a gladiator armed with his own misfortune. The chains, once signs of powerlessness, were now extensions of his body—whips of fury.

The woman took two steps back, the runes whirling around her like flaming gears. Each word she whispered molded the energy into new forms: spears, whips, walls of blue fire that appeared to block the blows.

Kael advanced fearlessly.

With a twist, he hurled the chain against the magical barrier. The impact was a thunderclap. The stone around the rune cracked, dust and embers falling like rain. The metal hissed on contact, searing the markings that bound it, but Kael didn't hesitate: he pulled back and attacked again, each blow like a hammer trying to demolish the impossible.

She countered.

Three magic circles floated around her, each spitting beams of energy like arrows fired in succession. Kael dodged two, his body moving with instinctive brutality, but the third struck his shoulder. The impact threw him against the wall. Stone shattered, blood trickling down his arm.

He laughed.

The sound echoed through the cave, filled with rage and pleasure.

"Is that all?! Is this how you intend to kill me?!"

With a yank, he ripped off a larger chunk of the wall still attached by the chain, transforming it into a ball of stone and iron. He spun it through the air, creating a destructive arc. As she launched, the projectile tore through two of her barriers, shattering the runes with a boom that reverberated like bells.

The woman leaped back, gliding through the air as if floating. Her gray eyes gleamed with concentration. She raised both hands, and the ground beneath Kael exploded in columns of energy, trying to engulf him in incandescent light.

Kael leaped.

With the chains wrapped around his fist, he used the weight of the iron as momentum. The movement was brutal, inhuman, like a predator breaking through a trap. He stepped through the blast, his body ablaze, his skin scarred with burns, but still standing.

He landed a meter away from her.

The chain descended like thunder.

She clasped her hands, raising a thick mana shield. The impact shook the entire space. The barrier shimmered, cracked, and the two were thrown to opposite sides of the cave by the shockwave. The ground shook, cracking like glass about to shatter.

Kael rolled, spitting blood, but he was already rising, the chain ready.

The woman was on her knees, her arm shaking with the effort, but her eyes burned with the same fury as his.

They stared at each other for a second—just a second—before advancing again.

The clang of metal against arcane clang filled everything.

The chains whipped, shattering rocks, crushing runes, deflecting spells. She created walls of mana, spears, and blades of light, each shattered or deflected by blows that felt like moving storms. The shock of each attack lit the cave with flashes that resembled frozen thunder.

In a moment, Kael managed to wrap the chain around her leg.

With a violent yank, he threw her against a stone column. The impact echoed, and the rock cracked. Before he could strike again, she raised her arm and summoned a blast of magical wind that hurled him backward, smashing him against the cavern ceiling.

His body fell like dead weight.

But when the dust cleared, Kael was back on his feet. Blood streamed down his face, his shoulder burned, but he was smiling—a smile of madness and defiance.

"I told you I would kill you with or without mana." His voice was a roar.

She didn't answer. She just cast another spell.

A circle of fire enveloped the entire field, turning the air into a suffocating oven. Kael's chains began to glow a fiery red. His skin burned just holding them.

He didn't let go.

He charged through the fire, screaming like a beast, and struck a blow so fierce it split the flame in half. The red-hot iron struck her shield again. The impact shook the entire cavern, knocking stones from the ceiling.

The shield shattered.

But the chain also snapped in two.

The silence lasted a second, broken only by their breathing.

Kael held half the chain in each hand, his body covered in blood, sweat, and burns.

She was panting, her skin scarred with cuts and her clothes in tatters, but still standing, the runes around her flickering faintly.

They both knew.

Neither of them would emerge victorious if they continued.

Still, they advanced once more.

He swung one of the chains like a whip; she conjured a spear of light. The collision struck the center of the cavern. The impact was so brutal that the explosion swept away everything: stones, runes, fire. The ceiling shook, part of the wall collapsed, and smoke covered everything.

When the dust cleared, Kael was on his knees, still clutching the broken chains. His body trembled, but his eyes burned, alive, untamed.

The woman was also on the ground, propped up on one arm, breathing heavily. Her runes had disappeared, her mana drained from the effort.

A draw.

Neither of them had won—but both had survived.

The woman was panting, her body arched with effort, sweat dripping down her chin. For a moment, it seemed as if she might collapse. But then, with a small, discreet gesture, she raised her bloody hand to her lips and murmured a few syllables—syllables that pulsed in the air like the notes of a broken bell.

Runes opened over her skin, like translucent flowers. Blue light flickered across the wounds, closing cuts, rebuilding bones, healing burns. Her skin was smooth again, her veins pulsing with renewed vigor. Her heaving chest steadied. She was whole again.

Kael narrowed his eyes, still kneeling.

The sensation of the iron in his hands burned to the marrow, but he didn't let go. Every muscle trembled with exhaustion, but his eyes remained fixed on her, unblinking.

The woman stood slowly. Her torn robe fell in shreds, revealing the luminous marks of mana coursing through her veins like shining rivers. Her gray eyes no longer trembled; instead, they were sharp as razors.

"You're… starting to irritate me." Her voice was low, almost calm. But each syllable carried the vibration of distant thunder.

Kael laughed.

A hoarse laugh, spitting blood onto the ground. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, showing his red-tinged teeth.

"Good," he said, his voice deep. "That makes it fun."

The woman raised her arm.

Runes gathered like fragments of stained glass reassembling themselves. From the center of her palm, a beam of mana condensed, extending into a pure blade. A sword of translucent, brilliant energy that crackled as if every atom of reality were forced to bend before it. The sound of nonexistent steel echoed through the space, a piercing shhh.

Kael clenched his fists around the two halves of the chain. The metal was cracked, worn, glowing in spots. But to him, it was a weapon; it was all he needed.

He smiled again. A smile that held no humor, only a growing fury.

"So it wasn't a draw," he murmured, rising to his feet, every muscle protesting. "This only makes me more nervous."

He slammed the broken chains against the floor. The metallic clang echoed like a war drum.

She didn't wait. She advanced first.

The mana blade sliced through the air with impossible speed, describing an arc that would have shattered any ordinary warrior before understanding what had happened. Kael raised one of the chains and blocked it.

The impact was deafening.

Blade and iron clashed, flashing light and sparks as if the world itself had clashed iron with fire. Kael's arm vibrated with the shock, the chain slipping in his hand as if it would slip away, but he held on tightly and countered with the other.

He spun, turning the iron into a whip that sought to crush her side.

She took a step back, blocked with the blade, and a wave of cutting energy exploded through the air, tearing apart part of the cavern's ceiling.

Kael didn't retreat.

He advanced like a storm, each blow heavier than the last. Chains whirled, crashing against stone, deflecting blades, trying to crush her like a raging animal. The woman, in contrast, was precision—the mana sword danced in clean cuts, dodging, slicing, parrying with the elegance of someone who had trained her entire life for this moment.

"You fight like an animal!" she screamed, blocking another blow, her arm trembling with brute strength.

"Better to be an animal…" Kael roared, forcing the chain against the blade. Iron sparked. "…than a coward looking for cheap tricks!"

He thrust.

The sword slid, scraping against the iron, nearly hitting her chest. Kael twisted, dodging by a hair's breadth, and responded with a kick that sent her crashing into the wall. The rock trembled.

She slammed her back against the stone, but she was already reacting. The blade glowed brighter, and from its tip shot a slash of pure energy, a long, thin wave that tore through the cavern.

Kael raised the chain and slammed it against the beam. The wave split in two, crashing against the sides of the cave and shattering stone columns. Dust fell from the ceiling, raining down on them both.

The battle descended into chaos.

They advanced, retreated, collided in the center like two hurricanes trying to devour each other. Each blow was accompanied by explosions of sparks and energy. The cave slowly crumbled, cracks snaking across the walls, huge chunks of rock falling around them.

Kael swung the chains like iron scourges, each impact capable of splitting a man in half. The woman responded with fluid slashes, dodging with elegant twists, her blade drawing shimmering lines in the air like ephemeral constellations.

In a moment, she managed to cut one of the chains in half, cutting the iron even shorter.

Kael responded without hesitation, using the smaller piece as a steel fist, punching the ground. The impact sent sharp rocks flying like shrapnel, forcing her to shield herself.

He took advantage and advanced.

A punch with the short chain.

She dodged by inches and counterattacked, the blade sliding down his arm, opening a deep gash. Blood sprayed, but Kael didn't stop. He struck her in the abdomen with the other chain, sending her backward against a column.

The woman fell to her knees, coughing, but raised her sword again. Kael, bleeding, panted like a bull about to tear everything apart.

The two stared at each other, their bodies destroyed, but their eyes alight with the same fury.

And then they advanced once more.

The next shock was the greatest yet.

The chain slammed into the blade, and the blast of energy caused the entire floor to crack. The ceiling partially collapsed, opening the cave to the night outside. Strips of moonlight pierced the smoke, illuminating the two combatants as if they were on a stage.

They continued.

Strike after strike. Chain against blade. Blood against mana. Flesh against magic.

Kael roared with each attack, his entire body driven by primal fury.

She responded with lethal coldness, the blade slicing the air in perfect lines.

In the end, they both connected simultaneously.

The short chain struck her side, breaking a few ribs. The mana sword sliced through Kael's shoulder, piercing muscle and burning to the bone.

They both staggered back, groaning, coughing up blood.

But neither fell.

Kael raised the chain again, his arm trembling.

The woman raised her sword, panting, her eyes burning.

They would continue.

Even if it meant dying here.